Assignment: Drug Use & Abuse
Responses should be complete paragraph and should further the conversation using personal experience, information from the textbook or other outside sources, asking questions, and more. Think about how your classmates answered differently or similarly to you. What did you learn from their post? What was most surprising or interesting? What do you agree with or disagree with? Your responses might spark some comments and feedback for one another.
Cocaine
1. Behavioral effects: The behavioral effects to using cocaine are hyperverbal, energetic, and alertness (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2017). Sometimes people will even be hypersensitive to sigh, touch, and sound when under the influence of cocaine (NIH, 2017). Just like most drugs, and everyone has a slightly different experience.
2. Physiological effects: The physiological effects of cocaine use are dilated pupils, elevated body temperature, and rapid heart rate (NIH, 2017). Larger amounts of cocaine use can also increase the high. When the high is increased other physical behaviors can happen. Some of these behaviors are restlessness, irritability, anxiety, and paranoia (NIH, 2017).
3. Acute health effects: Acute health effects of cocaine are irregular heart rhythm, stomach pains, and strokes (NIH, 2017).
4. Chronic health effects: Chronic health effects of cocaine are organ damage, or even cause organ failure. Some effects are restricted blood flow in the gastrointestinal tract, ulcers, weight loss, and even malnourishment (NIH, 2017). Cocaine can even cause cardiac issues such as inflammation of the heart muscle and aortic ruptures (NIH, 2017).
5. Combining with other drugs: Yes when you combine cocaine with other drugs is bad. There are many risk of combining drugs. One example is heroin and cocaine. Cocaine wants to use more oxygen, and the heroin causes the respiratory rate slow down (The dangers of mixing drugs).
6. What surprised me: It really surprises me that drugs are still a massive issue in the world for recreational uses. I find it interesting how some people get very addicted, some people use everyone once in a while, and how some people don't ever touch them. Working in the medical field really opened my eyes to many different drugs. I understand how different drugs work, and what they do to the body. On a medical standpoint drugs are very interesting and amazing, but when used for personal use they do some horrific things to you.
7. llLegalization of all drugs: I think that legalization of all drugs should be done. I think if we legalized all drugs that there would be a better regulations. Legalization might help get a log of the terrible mixed street drugs out, and possibly prevent some people from having massive medical issues. I understand that no matter what, drugs will still be readily available on the streets, but maybe with drugs being regulated people could get help in a better, and control the substance abuse.
8. Decriminalization of all drugs: I think decriminalization of all drugs might be a good idea for possession of small quantities of drugs. I like this idea, because I feel like our prison are very impacted, and that true criminals are not going to prison. Just because these people go to jail for possession of drugs, do not mean they stop them once they our out. I also like the idea that treatment is an options as well.
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.